NASHIK: Bird lovers are not known to take to city streets in protest. On Tuesday, however, a group of bird watchers gheraoed the office of the chief conservator of forests to protest the illegal fishing that caused the death of 18 birds last month at Nandur Madhyameshwar Bird Sanctuary.They gathered in good numbers and raised innovative slogans in protest for over an hour, demanding that the authorities work towards completely stopping illegal activity in the sanctuary. The wildlife office ought to be situated in the sanctuary premises, they said, and presented a memorandum to deputy conservator of forest (wildlife) Anil Anjankar, who met them and heard out the demands.Pramod Darade, a bird lover and guide at the sanctuary, said "Forest officials assured us that they would act against owners of boats caught by them soon after the birds died. They also paid heed to our other demands and said a new committee comprising bird lovers and forest officers would be constituted to look into these concerns."Fishing, Darade said, should be completely prohibited in the sanctuary."Fishermen met the ACF office along with politicians after the boats were confiscated. They said fishermen should be allowed to fish till alternate arrangements are made. We opposed that suggestion and said a total and immediate ban should be declared," Darade said.Anjankar said most of the demands raised by the bird lovers were already included in the forest department's management plan. "In our management plan we have taken all these points mentioned in the memorandum. We decided to have a treatment centre for birds. We cannot shift our office into the sanctuary as that decision is taken by the state government. We are forming the Nandur Madhyameshwar Conservation Committee and we asked them to join us. Guides were sent to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan in December for training by the forest department.""When rationalisation of boundary demarcation is done we can do future strengthening and protection. Wherever we feel there is encroachment, we can do fencing and have CCTVs. We are trying to give fishermen some alternative through the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Scheme. We met officials of the water resources department and discussed the fisheries proposal," he said, adding that the department was also talking with the Bombay Natural History Society for collaboration in research."Many birds come here. If anyone asks from where it has come, we do not have any proof. Bird activists say they are from Siberia etc, so that is what we inform visitors. We need scientific studies to be done on the migratory routes of the birds and we hope the MoU with BNHS will help us know exact details about the birds."

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